Bitter Cold
by zarah joyce
Summary: DM/HG. Updated. Draco and Hermione goes to Diagon Alley to see if Harry is there... but they're met by something else altogether.
1. A Death in the family of Harry Potter

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to those who reviewed my 'A Dragon's Light', but I'm afraid that story has to be put into a halt as this one called me more than that one did. Anyways, hope you'll like this! It'll be quite dark and angsty… but that's how we all like our fics now, don't we? *grin* Please, please, please review! 

**Bitter Cold**

_Prologue_

"NO! Please! I do not know anything! I beg you, have mercy!" 

Silence echoed over all of them, temporarily replacing the jubilant merriment that reigned supreme merely moments ago. Then one sound, a harsh laugh, escaped from a woman's lips, then from another one, and another one, until finally all the people inside one of the great rooms of the Malfoy Mansion erupted into peals of deranged laughter. 

"Have mercy?" One man asked as he stepped forward, as he stepped towards the latest source of entertainment for the Death Eaters. He arched one brow as he looked down on the form that sprawled on the floor, a dirty female muggle with rags for clothes and trash for worth. "You dare deny us the answer to our question and now you ask us to have _mercy? On you?" Laughter bubbled from his lips before he spoke again. "Mercy is only for those who deserve it, for those who follow Our Dark Lord's will. You, on the other hand… you do not deserve __anything." He raised his hand, and with a cruel yet sadistically pleased expression he gestured with his wand and said, "__Crucio__!" _

The effect was instantaneous. The woman allowed one tiny scream to erupt from her lips before she convulsed, her body trying to fight wave after wave of intense and horrific pain that coursed through her. Blood began to run down her chin, the effect of accidentally biting her lower lip with her teeth; her blood only blemished her fair skin more and mingled with the cuts and bruises that already covered her face. She bent her knees and brought them towards her chest, trying to form a protective coil around her body or as much as the chains that bound her wrists and ankles would allow her. Sweat and tears began to soak her rags, turning them to an even dirtier color and making her look more disgusting and loathsome. After what seemed like hours of torture, the spasms subsided, and the woman lay still on the floor, her ragged and uneven breathing the only indication that she was still alive. Barely, but alive.

From where he was, he could see the muggle struggle valiantly to live. Lucius Malfoy merely smiled. The sufferings of lower beings still amused him to no end. "Thank you, Vincent. I will handle everything from here." His voice was smooth and elegantly tinted with evil, the signature of a pure Malfoy.

Vincent Crabbe nodded. "My pleasure," he said and then blended once again with the crowd. 

Lucius then languidly rose from his chair and slowly approached their captive. The crowd parted for him, and gave him the respect that only the highest among Dark Lord's chosen disciples commands. With his cane, he tapped the woman, jabbed at her shoulders and finally at her knees. When he still got no response from her, he lifted his cane and swung it towards her head, and hit her at her temple. 

The woman finally moaned in reply. 

"You have strength in you. Impressive." Lucius said silkily, his compliment utterly out of place in a time like this. "Most of those who receive Vincent's curse immediately die. His curse is very effective in inflicting so much pain, pain that a weakling could never endure, let alone survive."

Crabbe noticeably huffed with pride that only made him look bigger and fiercer than he really was. He was truly a gruesome beast.

"But you…" Lucius tapped her again, "…you are no weakling. You are still alive, which only means one thing: you still have something to tell us. Now I ask you: Where is Harry Potter?"

The woman emitted a sound so much like a whimper. "I do not know!" A voice hoarse from screaming and crying emerged, sounding so much like her throat was burned.

The crowd watched with great interest as the man simply looked down at the woman on his feet. "Well then," Lucius said. "Such a shame that your strength will be wasted merely because you do not know the one thing that could save your life." 

The woman slowly lifted her head and met the stare of the one who spoke to her. "Please sir—"

A lethal mistake. 

Everybody realized this, save for the one who did it.

The exquisite face of Lucius Malfoy broke into an expression full of rage and contempt. "You are not worthy to _look at me in the eye." He said calmly, furiously, and then withdrew his wand from his robe and cursed her with the killing curse. "_Avada___ Kedavra."_

There was a scream, and then there was death.

"Take her away," Lucius muttered with a wave of his hand, and immediately two house elves appeared and dragged the dead body of Harry Potter's muggle aunt away from the presence of her killer and his watchers. When the foul body had been removed, Lucius turned towards the silent crowd of the Dark Lord's followers. "The Dark Lord is becoming impatient," he said loudly, his voice strong and demanding. "We have almost obliterated all those who stood on his path, except for the deadliest of his foes. This is the source of His… _disappointment _over us all." He made eye contact with each and every one in the room, made them feel fear and dread with what his words meant. "Our efforts should be doubled. I will assign one of you to find Harry Potter and bring him to me in the soonest possible time. Do this and He will give you your fitting reward, fail… and you will suffer the fate that the Boy Who Lived will meet in the hands of the Dark Lord." 

Suddenly, as he met the eyes of one of the men, the contours of his face changed so quickly and dramatically that it was almost terrifying to look at. Lucius Malfoy smiled, a tinge of affection appearing on his lips. "Ah. At long, long last." He muttered almost fondly. "My son has arrived."

*

Draco could only do what his father told him to, so when he told him to walk towards him, he did.

"My son!" Lucius said, his voice almost with pride at saying those words. "Join us." He lifted one hand and offered it to his child.

The younger Malfoy nodded, and when he was near enough he took his father's hand and held it in his own. He almost thought he saw approval in those eyes that looked back at him. "Father," he said simply and in recognition.

"Draco, my son." Said Lucius. "To you I will entrust this task of finding the enemy for our Lord. It is His most challenging task yet – one that I am sure you will have no problems of accomplishing." He squeezed the hand that he held, squeezed it tightly enough that it was an agonizingly painful caress. But he had taught his son well, he realized; no acknowledgement of the pain ever flared in those silver eyes of his. "You will succeed." He then leaned in closer so only Draco can hear: "You _will make meproud."_

The son could only nod. "I will make you and the Dark Lord proud, Father. I will find Harry Potter for you." His voice was filled with certainty and conviction, with arrogance and confidence. No other emotion can be detected in his tone or face. 

"Excellent, excellent indeed." Lucius then released Draco's hand. He turned towards the group before him. "As much as I am confident that my son is capable enough," he said as he glanced at Draco again, "this mission is of utmost importance. We need to ensure that Potter will definitely fall into our hands and that there will never be any room for any mistake. Now I ask one of you to accompany him in this task. Who among you is brave enough to come forth and accept His will?"

Murmurs began to fill the group as each one of them began to argue with the other on who should be chosen to work with the only son of Lucius Malfoy.

And then before any one could summon the courage and dare speak or step forth, one of them already did. This one raised her hand, and with a voice to equal the quality carried by the Malfoys, she said, "I am."

Silence once again reigned supreme over them. 

Lucius Malfoy inclined his head and asked, "Are you certain?" the doubt in his voice was very much evident.

"Very much so." The woman nodded. "I will find Harry Potter for you and for our Dark Lord."     

And the older Malfoy smiled once again. "Very well." He said, and his eyes betrayed a knowing gleam, as though he had known all along that it would be _she _who will come and present herself to him. He turned towards his son. "Draco?"

But Draco was not paying attention to him, or to anything else for that matter. Because he was not expecting this, he was quite slow in recovering from his initial shock. 

Standing before him, wearing the mark of a Death Eater at her arm, was Hermione Granger. 


	2. Changes in Us All

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to those who reviewed! And, well, to give you some background, this fic takes place several years after they graduated from Hogwarts, meaning they're about 25+. The sudden age growth is necessary because of the nasty (and naughty… *gasp!*) things to come. Even Crabbe's become a formidable Death Eater, if you've noticed! Heehee. Well, enough of the chit-chat, let's get it on! 

**Bitter Cold**

_Chapter One_

The surprise that overcame him was very much unexpected, like ice water doused over him in an unprepared moment. But then, the surprise in his eyes was shunned out quickly by something far more acceptable, by an expression far less intriguing… _indifference_. As though a curtain was drawn over his face, the bored, somewhat sneering look returned with a vengeance, completely casting and sweeping off any remnants of the humanizing effects of his previous feeling as though it was never there to begin with.

"Granger," he said casually, silver eyes locked on hers almost reluctantly. 

"Hello, Draco." She acknowledged in almost a purr, a small smile pasted on her lips.  

There it was again, the feeling of ill-preparedness at the way she readily spoke his name. His _first _name, as though they were already intimate, as though they were able to be more than what they really were. Though surprise at this, this time he had little difficulty in suppressing his expression of it. He crossed his arms in front of him, one hand still throbbing from the pressure his father had so affectionately given it, and, in a cock-sure, Malfoy way, slid his eyes and raked over her body in one glance. 

The time that passed, from the moment they graduated from Hogwarts until a few moments ago, had done her a great deal of… spectacular changes. He had never seen her this bold, this… _lovely. The curves of her body were finely revealed in a black fitting gown, curves that almost begged to be kissed and worshipped. Her hair, though loose, was never wild. On the contrary, it looked inviting, alluring to the touches of male hands trying to smoothen it down. And her face… gone was the innocence that shielded her, that protected and claimed her as one of those that belonged to the forces of good. Now, with those wickedly glinting hazel eyes and those pouting, ruby-red lips, the malice that tainted her expression only relayed that she'd strayed from the light… and willingly stayed in the dark. She'd been seduced by darkness, marked by it in many, many ways… _

The corners of his lips tugged upwards, and as though he couldn't help it, his eyes assessed and possessed her body once again. The smirk unwillingly became one that expressed his appreciation of the view he was presented with.

Undoubtedly, she saw the smirk and understood its meaning. "I take it you like what you see?" She asked him unhesitatingly, one brow raised slightly, her tone always, always ready for a challenge.

His eyes took hers in. "Maybe," he said in response. "I've always known Gryffindors have their charms, in one way or the other."

"Slytherins can't claim all the rights to it, you know."

"Ah, my son." Lucius said, and Draco looked at him as he had forgotten that his father was still there. The older Malfoy smiled at him, almost indulgingly, as though he enjoyed watching the verbal sparring between the two people before him. With any luck, there'd be some sparring between them that would include more than just the verbal kind. "You will take great delight in… _working_… with Miss Granger here. Her talents are well-known among us all." 

Hermione graced him with a smile, her teeth flashing in a godly way. "Thank you, Lucius. You are too kind." She said, polite until the last word.

"Very well." Lucius nodded at her, and then placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I shall be retiring now." He said. Then he addressed the crowd around him, whose eyes were quietly on nothing else but onto the three. "Rest assured that the Dark Lord will soon prevail and soon we will be at our rightful place. Good night to you all." And with that, he left them. 

Draco followed his father's departure, his disgust of the man very much evident in his eyes. He then glanced at the woman before him, daunted by the fact that she chuckled. "What?"

Hermione cocked her head to one side, her large eyes pensively sizing him up. Then a smile broke free from her mouth. "It seems as though some things _do_ change, Draco." She said. "I've never seen you look at your father the way you just did. I've always thought of you as the whipped, wounded puppy, the one that always looks up at its master in reverence…"

He took a menacing step towards her. "Stop it," he growled low.

Her eyes, innocent and big, stared at him. "Stop what?"

"Stop calling me by my first name." He said, finally expressing what bothered him. "It's not as though we parted as friends, _Mudblood."_

She arched one brow. "Is this the part where I was supposed to retort by calling you a 'prat' or 'ferret boy' or 'you stupid git'?" Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, _Draco. What are we, a couple of first years? Of all the immaturities. I'd like to think we're way beyond that."_

Draco, unheeding of the consequences, unmindful of the eyes that latched onto them, grabbed her arm and began to drag her out of the room. She patiently humored him, and allowed herself to be dragged out of earshot. "I'd like to think we're _not_." He told her, once they were in the darkest part of the room, the part where the flare from the fireplace failed to reach them anymore. This part of the room was particularly cold and nasty, but neither acknowledged that. It seemed to be the ideal place for this nice, get-together chit-chat. "What the hell do you think you're doing here, Granger?"

Hermione removed her arm from his tight hold. "What, now it's Granger once again, just when I was getting comfortable with your nickname for me?" she bit out as she rubbed her arm. "Make up your bloody mind, you stupid ferret boy. Call me something constant for a change."     

His temper was fraying, and he was constantly battling the urge to gag her. It was almost a losing battle. "I'll ask you once again: what the hell are you doing here?"

She fought the urge to bare her teeth at him in amusement. "What do you think? That I'm just here to play house and tea and cookies with Voldemort and his Death Eaters?" She sneered. "And here I thought, next to me, of course, that you were the brightest boy to ever grace the rotten floors of Hogwarts."

Draco leaned in closer to her, his breath dangerously hot and scorching, his breath dangerously close to her face. "So what's this, then? Another chance for you to prove your superiority over me?"   

"The fact that I am above you is already a given, _Draco. Nothing you or I could do will disprove that."_

He stopped short from grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her hard enough to make her see stars. Instead, he took a deep, calming breath, and spoke. "You, Hermione Granger. A Death Eater." He said, as he coated his words with enough malice to make them sound so sickeningly sweet. "The girl who proclaimed that she would rather die than be touched by one, now a woman who's been touched by the Dark Lord himself? How completely… ironic." 

"Completely unpredictable, I'm sure. We Gryffindors are a volatile lot. So unlike you Slytherins." Hermione grinned at him, and the act would have been considered normal had her eyes been free of the malevolence in them. 

"Oh? How so?"

She pointed at the crowd, pointed at them until he reluctantly turned to look himself. "See your groupies of Death Eaters?" she asked. "Tell me, aren't most of your housemates in there? With us? I'm inclined to think that _I'm _the only one from another house. Slytherins are more than welcomed to join, since it's almost natural for you freaks to end up here. But from the great Gryffindor, your archrival house? Not bloody likely." 

A ghost of a smile nearly illuminated Draco's face. "Some things never change, then. You managed to insult us Slytherins while exulting your high and mighty Gryffindor house in one breath." Then a chuckle did escape his lips. "Though I would like to warn you, _Hermione_. You are in our property, our territory. We freaks are all around you. We are a nationalistic lot, us Slytherins. We don't appreciate our house being insulted like that, especially not from upfront Gryffindors such as yourself."

She fluttered her eyes a bit, mouth twisting in a wry smile. "Why, I'm impressed, Draco. I do think that that's the most you've said to me since the moment we became schoolmates. Dare I say that this… partnership… will probably do us both some good?" 

Draco stared at her, assessing, calculating, before he slowly shook his head. "I still don't know why you're here and how the hell Voldemort allowed you to join. It seemed to me the master plan was still to kill all muggles and mudbloods on sight."

Hermione just shrugged, and then fixed him with a look he cannot comprehend. "You _have_ been away for a while, haven't you? Well, my dear, dear partner. Allow me the pleasure of enlightening you. You see, despite all the bad blood, everything still comes down to one factor: power. The fact that I am more powerful than most wizards and witches, and that I am willing to denounce everything good is almost too enticing an offer, isn't it?"   

At that moment, the light between them changed, and that allowed him to catch a glimpse of her body once again. "Enticing," Draco growled out, eyes hardening like chips of rocks in his eyes. "Indeed."

To be continued… 


	3. Secrets kept, Secrets revealed

**Author's Notes: **Before anything else I would like to thank Candice, Blindseer, Angbandaddict, Lady Malfoy, Lady Tskuya, MercedesBinns, avri, Sila-chan, Ella Palladino, Cutiepie99 and Steph for the reviews. You guys are great! Thanks! And please, please, please keep reviewing!

This chapter is also dedicated to those who reviewed 'Freedom to Become'. Thank you!

**Bitter Cold**

_Chapter Two_  

Draco tightened his hold on the glass of liquor in his hand, and then brought it to his lips and drank the liquid in one fluid motion. He relished the feeling of the burning in his tongue and throat, the feeling of searing heat that ignited his mouth but for only a moment. When it was gone, he left the empty glass on one of the tables and walked away from his place to get another drink.

"Draco!"

He abruptly turned to see who dared voice his name out loud. A smirk formed on his face as he recognized the owner and said, almost mockingly, "Hello, Pansy."

The woman practically bounced as she walked towards him, a smile permanently etched on her red lips. When she reached his side, she leaned towards his mouth to kiss him in greeting, but was denied the little touch of intimacy when he turned and gave her his cheek instead. Never perturbed, she patted his cheek with her hand. "My, Draco. It's been quite a while since I saw you! Where have you been hiding these past few years?"

He shrugged and mentally resisted the urge to wipe her touch away with his hand. "If I tell you where I were then I wouldn't be hiding, would I?"

Eyes blinked at him before that horrible mouth of hers broke into a wide grin. "Hmm. Still equipped with that tongue, I see." Said Pansy as she lifted her own wine and took a sip. "Though I suppose that wicked tongue of yours would do no good, seeing that you'd be working with that bitch for the time being."

Draco's eyebrows lifted imperceptibly at the mention. "I assume you're talking about the Mudblood." He told her dryly.

Pansy made a slight dismissing wave. "I would have loved to keep calling her that, just for the fun of it, but Lucius wouldn't hear it from me or from anyone else for that matter. He said it wasn't… _appropriate to call her that."_

A derisive smile appeared on his lips. "My father defending a Muggle-born? That I thought I wouldn't live to see."

"Oh, but don't you know?" Pansy blinked up at him, in a way she hoped was flirtatious and alluring. When she got no response, she continued. "Apparently she's not a muggle-born. Gasps and shock aside, she turned out to be one of us."

"A Death Eater." Draco supplied.

"Not only that, but a _pureblooded _Death Eater at that."

Silver eyes regarded the woman before him with disbelief uncannily exposed on his expression. "You're lying." It totally unnerved him that this information was somehow able to slip by him. When would wonders cease? First he learned that Hermione was a death eater, and _now he was being told that she was a pureblood as well?_

"Would I?" Pansy deposited her empty drink on one side and then stepped closer to the man she was speaking with. "I see it came as a shock to you, too, with all our initial thoughts that she's nothing but a pathetic excuse of a witch with dirty blood on her body. Well of course she's still pathetic and all – the Dark Lord knows nothing could ever change that - but the part about the blood… well, she's anything but_ with dirty blood."_

Without any warning, Draco grabbed hold of Pansy's arm. "Care to elaborate?" It was voiced out to sound not as a question or request, but as command… an order.

She winced at the pressure he gave her arm, but he bestowed no notice of her pain. "It was your father that found this truth out," she gasped. Finally, as if snapping out of it he removed his hold on her, and she relished in the feeling of blood flowing freely to her arm. "Turns out that Granger bitch wasn't a real Granger after all. She's _adopted." Pansy continued. "Her real parents were Death Eaters themselves. Have you ever heard of the 'Krux' family?"_

"Krux?" Draco repeated. "I've heard about them. Aren't they all dead?"

"Well, if you exclude the one with us, then yes, they're all dead. Apparently this Krux couple, after having been found out to be followers of the Dark Lord, went to the Muggle world and left their daughter to the Grangers. I suppose they'd even used the _Imperius curse on them, since who on earth would want to adopt such a hideous looking baby—"_

"Get on with your story, Pansy." 

Pansy dared to raise her eyes and meet his. "Impatient, aren't we?" Before he could retort, she continued. "After they left their darling baby girl to the Muggles," she said this with obvious contempt dripping from every syllable, "this Krux couple was eventually caught and imprisoned. Though before they were put into trial, the Krux woman _mysteriously died inside her prison cell. Hours before his own trial, her husband died as well." _

"Which left Granger an orphan."

"Which left Granger an amazingly _powerful orphan." _

Both Draco and Pansy turned to see the object of their conversation gazing at them with dark humor coloring her eyes. "Talking about my so-called fairy tale life _again_, Pansy? How unbelievably predictable of you, dear."

"Hello, Hermione. So… pleasurable of you to waltz right into our conversation." Pansy retorted with immeasurable malice. She lifted a hand and possessively clung to Draco's arm. "Now if you don't mind, my dear, kindly get the _hell _away from us." 

Tense moments slipped idly by, as no one dared to speak or move. Glares were exchanged between the two women, one's eyes filled with hate, the other with haughtiness. Moments passed again before Draco roughly removed Pansy's hand from his arm, and turned to face her. "I'd like to say the same to you, Pansy. Get out."

Eyes widened and bulged in surprise. "What?"

"Get. Out." And, as if to emphasize his words, Draco gave Pansy a not-so-gentle shove towards the direction of the other Death Eaters. It was her sheer luck that she fell into the arms of Crabbe and not flat on her face on the floor. She gave an indignant cry, glared holes through them both and immediately left the Malfoy Manor.

Hermione surveyed all of this with a decidedly amused expression on her face. "Never one to be subtle, are you, Malfoy?"

"Never, Granger. Or should I say _Krux?" _

"Personally I prefer Granger, but please, call me anything you wish."

Was it Draco's imagination, or did something else other than malice swirled in those eyes of hers? But of course, as a Death Eater, she, too, knew that it was dangerous for one to dwell on an emotion for too long. Soon her eyes were full of darkness again. "Ah. So this is why Voldemort allowed you to serve him, because you are one of _us." He said._

"Yes. Unfortunately, my destiny seemed to coincide with yours and your Slytherin friends. After all, what do sons and daughters of Death Eaters become but Death Eaters themselves?" At this, she shrugged. 

Draco stared at her in contemplation. "And yet you were sorted to Gryffindor." He mused out loud. "Not to the Slytherin where the _other sons and daughters of Death Eaters reside."_

Hermione's lips tugged upward, her expression somewhat resembling a saddened, defeated smile. "Muggle influence, I believe." She said. "My parents taught me well…" and then she looked away. 

Silence hovered between the two of them, neither one really knowing what to say to the other. Hermione berated herself for showing even an ounce of her emotions to him, but what was done was already done. She had shown weakness, but he had either dismissed it or did not realize that she had done such a thing. Perhaps he was not as perceptive as she thought he was. 

On the contrary, though, Draco had caught this weakness of hers, but chose not to comment on that as of the moment. He will, however, use this beneficial seed of knowledge when the appropriate time comes. "You said something about being an amazingly powerful orphan," he said, as he broke the uncomfortable nothingness in the air.

Hermione returned his inquisitive eyes with a stare of her own. "Have you ever heard of the phrase 'a vessel of power'?"

He shook his head.

"You're looking at one now," she stated.

Draco smirked as he openly feasted on her body. "Am I?"

"As I've been told by your father, once the lineage of the wizard families are almost completely wiped off, meaning once they have fewer descendants to carry on their name, the power that runs in that family gradually becomes concentrated. If, for example, there are few members left, then the power of everyone in the family is divided unto them." Hermione's chin lifted on its own, pride and arrogance in her voice. "In my case, however, _I _am the only Krux left in this world, meaning that _all _the power in my family is now _mine_ and mine _alone_." 

"Selfishness? So unbecoming of you, Hermione." He clucked his tongue. "All that power in you… and here I thought your ability came from all those hours spent in the library."

"Oh, believe me, _that_ helped. All those hours of studying helped me a lot." Hermione's eyes gleamed an unholy fire. "For instance, did you know that there is a specific spell in a specific book that allows one to trace the track made by a beloved friend? Before you came into all of this, I've already cast that spell to know exactly where Harry Potter is as we speak."

"And where would he be?" asked Draco.

"Diagon alley." She promptly answered, not without a triumphant smile on her face.

To be continued…


	4. Savior

**Author's Notes: **Finally, after waiting so long I've managed to read OoTP… and personally I thought it was great! However, the only motivation I had for not putting that enormous book down was my fervent wishing that there would be some moments between our favorite couple… well, there were some moments but…. Arrggghhh, not enough to satisfy the little D/Hr shipper in me! Oh, what the heck, at least there's still the fics… ;) 

Ahem. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to avri, DazedPanda, Befuzzled, halosangel and that wonderful reviewer who goes by the name of Elissa Echo (you aren't, by any chance, be Agent Steph from the TLW Board, are you? If you're not then feel free to dismiss this for I am suffering from total confusion, heehee). I also dedicate this chapter to The Ultimate Otaku. I meant what I said in the e-mail I sent you, and I thank you deeply for your reviews (not just in this but on the others as well). 

If the spells that I used on this chapter are wrong, please do not hesitate to tell me. I appreciate constructive criticism… ;)

**Bitter Cold**

_Chapter Three_

The silence around the once busy and bustling place was deafening. The eerie stillness, the strange darkness that surrounded the outskirts of Diagon Alley was a veritable sign that something disastrous had once struck this place; that something so horrible occurred in here that it left the area deserted, dead, decayed. Shops were closed and abandoned by its owners; the well-worn path treaded on before by eager students and parents was now covered in moss and sickening mildew from all those years of misuse. There was nothing left of it, really; just the shadows and grief, just the haunting, gaunt look on the face that once boasted of its life and energy, of the hustle and bustle that made it alive in all those past years.

Suddenly, there was a dull, reverberating sound that was gradually becoming louder… before long, a swirling mass of wind appeared at the center of the place, and after the passing of another moment, there was the unmistakable manifestation of a figure from the midst of nothingness. The dull, reverberating sound occurred once again, and then the sharp sounds of the wind came, then soon after that another figure appeared. The sudden apparition of these two would have been a sight to see, but unfortunately there was no one there to behold it. 

It had been years since Draco last saw this place, and the last time he did, it was nothing like this; _never_ like this. The devastation, the destruction of Diagon Alley was nothing but a reflection of the drastic changes that occurred in their world once Voldemort was alive and well again. "Diagon Alley, you say." He said, his voice iced with dryness, with disgust as he surveyed the remnants of the place. He made a grand gesture around them. "And where, may I ask, is Potter among all these… junk?"

Hermione glanced idly at her companion before she took a step forward, her eyes taking in everything, every piece of trash and worthless material left in the area. She scanned the rooms above the ground floors as well: those quarters, with their broken windows and dingy appearances, looked too dirty to be inhabited, too foul to be used as a sanctuary. She consulted the small cup she had in her hand, and she watched with obvious distaste as the red liquid gradually became blue; an indication that the object of their pursuance is no longer in the area. "They were here," she said, almost imperceptibly, almost dejectedly. 

And yet he heard those words. Draco crossed his arms in front of him as the result of it. "Where?" he asked again, the stress in his voice apparent.

"You weren't listening, Draco." Hermione told him patronizingly. "I said they _were _here." 

Draco stared at the woman for a moment before his face twisted into his usual, signature smirk. "And now they're not."

"Ten points to Slytherin for making such an obvious observation." Hermione then carelessly threw the cup away, its content immediately disappearing as soon as they touched the floor. The sound of the metal cup that was thrown against the wall seemed to have waken the sleeping inhabitants of the place; immediately, rats and other lower forms of filth began to scuttle around, obviously distressed by the sudden appearance of life above theirs. 

"So are you saying that your little detection potion was defunct? Useless? Nothing but a piece of—"

Hermione turned around to regard him, the glint in her eyes betraying that she was almost amused. "I am saying no such thing."

"But this situation is implying it." Draco retorted as he cocked his head to one side, the smirk in his face never leaving its home. "It's obvious that your potion failed. Why else would we be brought here instead of Potter's real hiding place?"

"Perhaps a little birdie told him?" Hermione suggested, the lilt in her tone noticeable. "Perhaps he learned that I was onto him through a spy, and that he managed to disappear before we apparated here?"

Draco snorted. "A spy?" he said. "Now you're really reachin', Granger." He uncrossed his arms and walked towards her. "I'm going back to the manor. All these minutes of mine wasted on such a pointless journey… imagine what I could have done instead of being here with you." 

A spark of annoyance appeared in her eyes, but her face remained pleasant and calm. "Yes, I most definitely could imagine what you'd be doing… like fucking the wits out of Pansy. Not that I'm saying there's any to begin with."

He stopped walking and then faced her, a malicious glint evident in his eyes. "I won't even point out the fact that you just said _you imagined __me doing the dirty deed."_

"You just did."

Draco grinned. "I did, didn't I?" He shook his head. "Fantasizing about my sexual abilities, Hermione? I should say that I'm flattered…"

"Don't be. It was meant as an insult, really." She deadpanned with a flutter of her eyelashes.

He was about to retort to that when he saw her body suddenly go rigid. He looked around them, trying to discern what could have frozen her on the spot, when he heard it: faint scratches on the walls, faint intakes of breath… faint indications of human life. 

Hermione silently moved forward, her feet taking her to where the sounds were coming from. She could hear Draco's footsteps as he followed her movements, and so he mimicked her when she stopped in front of an old bookstore. She glanced at him before she spoke. "I think I heard some noise coming from—" with both hands, she seized the large sign that was blocking the door of the bookstore, and then threw it effortlessly on one side, "—here." She finished.

When the sign was removed, the scene that unfolded before them was a scene that involved a hunched form of a man trying in his damnedest to deform his large frame so that he could hide in very small crevices. When this unfortunate man heard the frightening sounds of his only refuge being torn away from him, he quickly moved to run away; only his escape was blocked when a binding curse was thrown at him. He fell down to the floor with a thud.

Draco watched all these, not without a small amount of awe. "I have to say, I'm impressed, Granger." He drawled, making the statement sound like he meant the exact opposite of it.

Hermione threw him a haughty look. "You haven't even seen anything yet," she said. She then lowered the wand she held in her hand and walked towards their captive. "Hello," she said conversationally, knowing fully well that the man, though immobilized, had no problem hearing her voice. "I'm really sorry about the hex I threw at you, see, it's something I had to do because I needed to ask you something."

"Why are you even talking to him?" Draco asked impatiently. "Just use the Imperius curse to make him tell you what you want. Or are you telling me that you don't know how to cast that particular curse?"

She glared at him. "You're making assumptions again, Draco." She warned him. "You know very well that I could cast that damned curse. Why, I could cast that very same curse on _you _to stop you from talking. Heaven knows its taking a _lot of my strength to stop myself from doing it." _

"I'd like to see you try it." He challenged her.

"Perhaps later," Hermione said, dismissing him and his silly insinuations. "Now, back to our guest…" She kneeled so that she could be nearer to the fallen man. "As I was saying, I would like to ask you some questions, seeing that you, unlike all the others, are still… _living here." She pointed her wand at him, and whispered, "__Finite __Incantatem." _

As soon as she spoke the words, the curse that bound the man disappeared. As soon as he realized this, he leapt to his feet, pushed Hermione out of the way and ran. 

Draco straightened himself as soon as he saw Hermione fall. He lifted his wand and said, "_Serpensortia!" Immediately, a large snake appeared out of nowhere and blocked the man's path to his freedom. _

"That was _rude_," Hermione said as she stood up. Her face still contained its odd calmness as she walked towards the man. 

Sweating profusely, he looked at her, at Draco, and at the snake that was moments away from attacking his leg. He swallowed a heavy lump on his throat before he spoke. "What… what do… do you want…?!"

"We just want some answers, which was what I was about to say before you rudely pushed me away." She took pity on the man. "Let's see… I could make that snake disappear _if _you give us what we want. If not, well… you know what's going to happen next." As though proving her point, the snake hissed loudly at him.

"Anything… anything!"

Draco glared at the man. "Poor excuse for a wizard, you're not even going to try to defend yourself against us, aren't you?" He eyed the wand that was tucked into the belt of the man. 

"I know I don't stand a chance against Death Eaters like you, so why should I even bother?" the man spat at them, even as he cautiously stepped back when the snake advanced on him. 

Hermione nodded at him. "Wise man," she commented under her breath. "Now, about my question… have you seen Harry Potter around this area?"

The man blinked at them in alarm. "Ha-Harry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived? Around this area?"

"Yes. Have you seen him?" She asked. 

"I… well, I—"

"HERMIONE!!!"

She whirled around to face Draco, alarm coloring her face when she heard the panic in his tone. "Draco, what—" The words died on her lips, for what she saw stunned her: Draco had his wand drawn out and pointed at the man, and he had just closed his mouth after uttering the killing curse. _The Killing Curse. _"NO! Draco, no!" But it was already too late, for when she looked at their captive again, he was already slumped over the hissing snake, completely and utterly dead. 

Draco lowered his wand and breathed deeply, his energy somewhat spent after saying that curse. Another flick of the wand and a muttering of "_Finite Incantatem_," and the snake disappeared. 

"YOU IDIOT!" Hermione screeched at the top of her lungs, her voice disrupting the silent ambiance in the area. She curled her hands into fists as she turned to face him again, her eyes flashing dangerous sparks of brown and gold. "You fucking idiot!" she said again, as she pointed a finger at his face. "Why in hell would you do something as stupid as that? You know very well that—" 

In a space of one breath, Draco had her hand pinned to her side, his face dangerously close to her own. Silver eyes glinting with annoyance, he said softly, "You have no idea what I have just done," he told her, his hand painfully applying pressure to hers. "I just _saved your ass, Granger. You should be __thanking me."_

She glared at him, her eyes meeting the danger of his own. She gave no indication that she was feeling any pain. "Why should I thank you?" she asked, her voice equaling his in its intensity. "You just killed the only lead we have. I should be _killing you, that's what I should be doing."_

His brows quirked up. "I'd like to see you try." He said. Then, Draco moved away from her, and pointed at the fallen body of their captive. "I saved you," he told her firmly. "This pathetic excuse for a pureblood was about to draw his wand and _kill you. _He was trying to distract you with his stuttering." He smirked at her contemptuously. "You never saw that one coming, didn't you? You Gryffindors truly are a trusting lot." He shook his head.

Hermione glanced at the man and then resumed her glaring. "I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want to believe, _Hermione, but the truth is that I just saved you." Draco smiled at her. "You owe me big time, and I expect the payment to be… __pleasurable."_

And before she could say anything, he already disappeared.


End file.
